Chapter 99: A Plan to Stay Safe

Leah’s POV

Detective Reyes leads me down a narrow hallway, away from the noise of the precinct lobby. My footsteps echo against the tiles, my hand clasping the strap of my bag tightly.

Everything about this place makes my stomach twist.

The uniforms, the radios crackling from somewhere behind walls, the occasional telephone ring.

It all reminds me of Atlanta.

Of seven years ago.

I force myself not to think about that.

Daniel stops in front of a door and pushes it open. “This should give us some privacy.”

I follow him in. It is a small interview room with two chairs positioned across from each other and a plain table between them. There is nothing threatening about the space, but the familiarity of sitting across from a detective makes me very uneasy.

Daniel gestures toward one of the chairs. “Have a seat.”

I lower myself into it while he takes the chair opposite me. He reaches for a bottle of water sitting on the table and slides it toward me.

“Would you like anything else? Coffee? Tea?”

“No.” My fingers close around the bottle. “I just… want to get this over with and leave.”

Daniel studies me for a moment before giving a small nod. “Okay.”

He settles back in his chair. “Victoria gave me an overview of what’s going on. She also gave access to your ex-boyfriend’s case file, Diego Valdez. I understand you began receiving messages from an unknown number about three months ago, which you believe were sent by him.”

“Yes.”

“Do you still have them?”

I hesitate, my gaze dropping briefly to the table as I consider the question.

“The messages from three months ago?”

He nods, and I slowly shake my head. “No. I deleted them.”

Daniel’s eyebrows lift slightly. “All of them?”

I look down at the bottle in my hands. “Yes. When Diego started contacting me, I panicked. I changed my number and threw away my old SIM card. I thought if I cut off every way he could contact me, eventually he would leave me alone.”

Daniel nods slowly. “Okay, and do you remember the contents of the earlier messages?”

“Not exactly. But they were threatening. He made it clear he was looking for me and that he wanted to hurt me.”

“And the messages you received last night?”

“I still have those.”

I pull out my phone, unlock it, open the messages and turn the screen towards Daniel. He takes the phone from my hand and studies the screen carefully, reading through each message and examining the photographs one by one.

His expression doesn’t change as his eyes move across the screen.

After a moment, he looks up. “Give me a few minutes.”

I blink. “What?”

“I need to have someone check this number.” He rises from his chair, taking my phone with him. “I’ll see if there’s anything we can identify from it. Wait here.”

I nod slowly. Daniel steps out of the room, leaving me alone.

For the next thirty minutes, I sit in silence. At first, I try to occupy myself by staring at the table in front of me. Then I start studying the clock on the wall.

I badly want this to be over. It was getting late, and although I’ve already told Nathan I’ll be late this morning, I don’t want to delay any longer than necessary.

Eventually, the door opens. Daniel walks back into the room, my phone still in hand.

I immediately straighten as he returns to his seat. “We’ve run the number through our available tracing systems,” he says, “Unfortunately, we couldn’t establish a reliable identity behind it.”

He places my phone back on the table in front of me. I stare at it, immediately dragged into deep thought.

So, there’s no way to match that number to Diego?

If the police can’t trace it, then what does that mean for me? Diego can keep changing numbers, keep contacting me, and keep finding ways to make me live in constant fear?

My fingers curl slowly around the edge of my phone. “So… what do I do now?”

Daniel watches me carefully before speaking again. “For now, the best thing you can do is not engage with him. Whatever he sends you, don’t respond. Don’t agree to meet up with him under any circumstance. If he contacts you again, keep the messages and bring them directly to us.”

“Okay, but is it possible to track him down?” My voice comes out more strained than I intend. “Is it possible to put him in jail again?”

The panic I have been trying so hard to contain suddenly rises all over again. “I don’t want him coming near me.”

Daniel pauses, choosing his words carefully. “Leah, I want to be clear about something. Based on what you’ve shown me, those messages aren’t necessarily enough by themselves for us to immediately make an arrest. But we do have his criminal records, and we know he’s one to look out for.”

Daniel continues, before I can spiral into a panic, “For now, I’d suggest you apply for a temporary order of protection.”

I look straight at his unwavering eyes. “A restraining order?”

“Yes.” Daniel nods. “It won’t solve everything overnight, but it creates a formal legal boundary and gives you additional protection if he continues contacting you or approaches you.”

I nod slowly.

It isn’t a solution to everything. It doesn’t mean Diego will suddenly disappear.

But at least now I know what I am supposed to do.

I don’t have to sit in my apartment waiting for Diego to make his next move, which knowing him, will soon escalate.

I just need to do whatever I can to protect myself and maybe gather enough evidence to put him back in jail, away from me for good.

Daniel reaches for a small card and writes something down before sliding it across the table. “This is my direct line.”

I glance at the number written neatly on the white card. “If anything changes, don’t hesitate to call me. Especially if you feel you’re in immediate danger.”

“Okay.” I slip the card carefully into my bag, making sure I don’t lose it.

“Oh, and one more thing,” he adds, and I immediately direct my gaze at him once again.

“Victoria also spoke about concerns regarding your safety. I’ve arranged for occasional plainclothes presence around your apartment and workplace. It won’t be permanent security, but we’ll have officers keeping an eye on things.”

This is good. Having officers watch over me will definitely make a difference right now.

I let out a slow breath, my shoulders finally loosening a fraction. “Thank you.”

Daniel gives me a reassuring nod. “You did the right thing coming here.”

I look down at the card in my hand.

I feel slightly better knowing there is a plan now, especially with Victoria also looking out for me. I still can’t completely shake the uneasiness sitting in my chest but this—this is something.

A sudden sting burns behind my eyes.

I blink quickly. I refuse to cry again. Not here, especially not at this station. I need to take this on with a bit more confidence and reassure myself I’ll be fine, otherwise I’ll end up breaking down.

I rise slowly from my seat and gather my bag. “Thank you, Detective. I really appreciate your help.”

Daniel stands as well. “Of course.”

He gives a brief, reassuring smile before I turn toward the door. My hand has just reached for the handle when his voice stops me.

“And Leah?” I pause and turn back.

Daniel is watching me carefully now, his features appear more serious than before.

“I know it’s scary,” he begins. “but please don’t think about running away. I know your instinct is probably to disappear again. But if he’s already found you once, moving without a plan could make things worse. Let us help you.”

My throat tightens. I give his words a moment of thought, then offer a simple nod. “Okay.”

I turn back toward the door and finally leave the room.

—

The moment I step outside the precinct, I pull out my phone and dial Victoria’s number.

She answers on the second ring and I immediately tell her everything about my conversation with Daniel Reyes.

Victoria agrees that applying for the temporary order of protection is the right move. She also reassures me not to let the fact that Diego has made it to New York make me feel completely helpless.

She reminds me that Diego doesn’t know his way around New York like he did Atlanta, and tells me that she’d already started reaching out to people she trusts who could help track his movements here.

They will try to figure out how he got into the city and, more importantly, where he is hiding.

By the time the call ends, I still feel uneasy, but the panic has settled. At least now I have a plan and people looking out for me.

By the time I reach Harrington Group, the knot in my stomach lessens.

I stare up at the towering glass building.

Harrington Group is enormous. There are security personnel throughout the building. Security cameras. Controlled entrances. Guards stationed around the executive floors.

Hundreds of employees pass through these doors every day. There is no way Diego can simply walk in here and get to me.

I repeat that to myself as I step into the elevator.

He can’t get me here.

For a few seconds, it almost feels reassuring.